Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph & Bentley Arnage

After a model run of some 18 years, the Silver Spirit was to be replaced. This coincided with a period of changed ownership for the company. The sister cars of the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph and Bentley Arnage were launched under new owners BMW, both cars receiving BMW-derived engines – the Seraph a V12 and the Arnage a V8.

In 2000 Bentley was sold to Volkswagen, they sub-named the current Arnage as the “Green Label”, and reintroduced the trusty 6.75l V8 in the Red Label variant. This engine powered the 2009 Bentley Brooklands, delivering a stunning 550bhp, more than double the original 200bhp when the basic engine first saw the light of day 50 years ago.